Categories

MEET YOUR BLOGGER

I live in the deep south of New Zealand, where smelly dairy cows are taking over from sheep in the livestock stakes. My hometown is the small but perfectly formed city of Invercargill, which is also the hometown of the original boy racer, Burt Munro. Find out more about me here.

Geek central

While it certainly has its good points, there is no denying the fact that the internet is becoming more of a security minefield every day. Many years ago, when I bought my first computer and discovered the joys of the web via my trusty 14.4 kbit/s dialup modem (yes kiddies, there was a time before wi-fi, broadband, Twitter, and even Facebook), there were still a good number of people who didn’t use security software....

Are we all excited about Facebook’s new messaging and email system? Yes, sure … I’m prepared to trust my emails with a company that’s already shown total contempt for the privacy of its users. What could possibly go wrong …

So, are we all excited and abuzz over yesterday’s Google operating system announcement? Okay, so it will be a year before the OS is running on computers and it will be set up for netbooks to start with but even so, it’s big news. I like that it’s going to be based on Google’s Chrome, a web browser with a very nice interface. I’ve been a Firefox fan for a long time now and...

According to the NZ Herald (shhh, don’t tell my bosses I’m reading the competition!), we’re getting the sexy wee Google-powered smartphone some time during the next few months. It look very flash but let’s hope it’s going to be more affordable to run than the much anticipated iPhone. While I can appreciate how pretty and shiny these things look I’m a bit boring when it comes to phones. (I just want a phone to...

GAME REVIEW: Singstar ABBA For PlayStation 3, rated G, RRP $69.95 (game only) or $119.95 (with microphones) The whole Singstar thing is one of those concepts you either love or hate: an in-home karaoke game where you get rated on how good (or bad) you are. The game can be played solo or you can have fun with your family and friends. Or torment them, if that’s your preference. Swedish pop sensation ABBA might...

GAME REVIEW: Singstar Singalong with Disney For PlayStation 2, rated G, RRP $59.95 (game) or $109.95 (with microphones) I’m sure that, like me, my adult readers will know an embarrassingly large number of the songs on this disk. And they’ll also know all the words. And, even worse, they’ll find themselves humming, singing, whistling and mumbling these songs as they get stuck in their heads for days after using the game. Like Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo from...

GAME REVIEW: Singstar SingStore volume 3 For PlayStation 3, rated PGR, RRP $69.95 (game) or $119.95 (with microphones) Packed with online features, including access to the SingStore, which has a whole bunch of extra songs available for a fee, this one will let you add some real variety to your SingStar parties. It has 30 tracks included on the disk, but I have to say it’s a somewhat weird variety: from Aerosmith to Feargal...

GAME REVIEW: Buzz Junior Ace Racers For PlayStation 2, Rated G, RRP $34.95 (game) $69.95 (with buzzers) The latest addition to the Buzz! Junior stable of games, Ace Racers is a fast and furious bundle of action aimed at the younger gamers but suitable for the whole family. It’s played using the Buzz! controllers, so getting around the game is nice and easy. You get to select a racer icon to represent you and...

As expected, the trip to Sydney was informative and more than a little interesting. Symantec has listened to its users and — building on the improvements offered up in the 2008 software — is aiming for “zero-impact”. This doesn’t mean the software won’t use any system resources because, well, the only way ANY software could do that would be if you left it in the box and never installed it. No, your new Norton...